I don’t consider religion to be my enermy but I believe history points out how dangerous religions can be. I don’t have a religion. I follow a philosophy and I also understand what you have shared. :)

Three Marks of Existence.
Anicca, impermanence: all things are transitory, nothing lasts.
Anatta, No-Self or No-Soul: human beings, and all of existence, is without a soul or self. There is no eternal, unchanging part of us. The entire idea of self is as an illusion, an illusion causing immeasurable suffering; and this illusion gives rise to the egocentricities protecting the self or “ego” to presumably preserve its interests, which is futile since nothing is permanent anyway.
Dukkha, suffering: all of existence, not just human existence but even the highest states of meditation, are forms of suffering, ultimately inadequate and unsatisfactory.

Buddhism tends to focus on psychological insights; the problem with bad or selfish action is that it molds our personality, creates ruts or habitual patterns of thinking and feeling. These patterns in turn result in the effects of karma in our lives. It was through Buddhism that I became aware of egocentricity.

Asked what happens to an Arhant, an enlightened one, upon his death, the Buddha was said to have replied: “What happens to the footprints of the birds in the air.” Nirvana means ‘extinction’ and he likened the death of an arhant to the extinction of a flame when the fuel (karma) runs out. He evidently felt that many such questions were arising out of a false attachment to self, and that they distracted one from the main business of eliminating suffering.

Im so glad to hear your feedback on this. Like you have said – this is truly the path to peace.

In Buddhism, generally speaking, it is understood that the ego doesn’t exist in the first place and the whole thrust is undoing this strong grip we have on the idea of self. Ego is the main culprit in our suffering. In Tibetan it is called “dak dzin” and “means grasping to a self.”

Excellent article. I’m inspired by your commitment to disarm egocentricity. This is truly the path to peace.